From the press release:

The heart of gas piston technology is its use of nitrogen as the power, instead of a coiled steel spring.

Unlike steel and CO2, nitrogen isn’t adversely affected by temperature. In addition, the technology allows for much easier cocking. The nitro piston starts engaging the moment the shooter starts cocking the gun. Gas pistons can also be left cocked for long periods of time without degrading and losing velocity, the way steel springs do. Also, when a steel spring uncoils, the vibration is not only annoying, it compromises precision. “Nitro Piston technology solves both by creating a smoother cocking force and releasing the gun’s power more quickly,” said D’Arcy.

The new rifles will not be available until June, but Pyramyd Air have them available for pre-order. They claim the piston system produces a lot less noise (most of the noise from a break barrel airgun is the piston), less recoil, easier cocking and long lasting.

They are available for pre order for $324.99. They comes in .22 and .177 versions (1000 fp/s and 1200 fp/s respectively) and either either a black synthetic or digital camo thumbhole stock. They all feature a bull barrel and two stage trigger.

Air gun expert and blogger Tom Gaylord was involved in the development of the system. If he was involved it must be good! I don’t think he would risk his reputation on an inferior product.

Gamo Hunter Extreme .22

The .22 rifle will push a lead pellet at 950 fps. From my limited knowledge of air guns, I think this is 10-20% more power. The downside is that is take 65 lbs of effort to cock the rifle.

Specs:

Caliber: .22
Velocity: 1300 feet per second (fps) with PBA*, 950 fps with Lead
Max Energy: 32 Joules
Break Barrel: Single Cocking System
Barrel: Jacketed steel bull barrel
Cocking Effort: 65 lbs
Trigger: Second Stage adjustable

* Gamo PBA: Performance Ballistic Alloy. A lighter non-lead brand of pellets.

In a promotional video from Gamo a hunter takes down a 250 pound boar with the .177 model using the PBA pellet (being pushed at 1600 fp/s).

I am pretty skeptical about this video. I originally uploaded it to youtube to embed it on the blog but then decided to delete it. I do not think they should be encouraging kids to go pig hunting with a .177 air rifle. Especially since the video looks like a setup – a docile pig is shot at near point blank range from an elevated angle.

More info on the rifle and the video mentioned above can be had at the Hunter Extreme website.

Interestingly enough the upper is a real A2 upper that they then modify and fit the air gun parts.

From Pilkington:

We all know that one the best ways to practice in the off season is an air rifle and it certainly develops your skills, but there still numerous fine points of muscle memory and sight acquisition that cannot be the same as your Service Rifle, at least with traditional air rifles. But we decided that we could give you everything your want, the same as your target AR-15 has them already. The exact sight picture and EXACT trigger feel along with the exact feel of your buttstock weighted just the way you like it against your own cheek.

How can we do that? Half of the answer is already in your hands, your personal AR-15 lower receiver. The other half is the new BF-17 upper that houses an air rifle action made by Pilkguns. The BF-17 upper uses actual AR-15 components like an A2 upper, front sight mount, charging handle and handguards. It also has National Match ¼ minute rear sights matched to a top quality .177 Lothar Walther barrel to put your shots in the X ring where we know you have the talent to place them.

Why would you want this upper? Cheap practice with the exact same trigger pull as your 5.56mm upper. If you are used to the AR platform this would be a great competition air gun.

The cost is estimated to be between $800 and $1100. You can pre-order one for a $250 deposit. A semi-auto and A4 flattop upper version are in the works.

More info here.

The Whisper X is a break barrel and is comes in a .22 or .177 caliber

Specs:

Weight: 6.61 lbs
Muzzle Velocity: .177 ft/s 1000
Muzzle Velocity: .22 ft/s 722 .

I am not sure about availability or pricing yet. Gamo USA do not update their website very often.

More info here.

T-4 Bullpup


T-4 Carbine

The conversion to a bullpup configuration is straight forward. Initially I was confused by what appears to be a double set trigger but after looking at the below diagram is seems to be a simple safety that prevents the trigger from moving.

If you have ever wondered how bullpup rifles work then take a look at this cutout. I have annotated the diagram so that it is comprehensible by those with less technical knowledge of firearms. The parts needed to move the trigger forward, the trigger linkage, are plain to see.

Click to expand (warning: it is a big file)

Another interesting feature of this rifle is the built in suppressor. This probably prevents it from being imported into the US and any another other country that regulates suppressors. The Gamo Whisper, which also includes a built in suppressor, is apparently legal because its’ suppressor is made from plastic and would be blown up by the gas from even a .22 LR cartridge.

The T-4 is available in .177, .22 and .25.

Specs:

Weight: 2.8 kg : 6.1 lbs
Length: 680 mm / 26.7″
Barrel length: 420 mm / 16.5″
Trigger pull: 1.5 kg / 4.4 lbs
Magazine Capacity: 8 pellets
Operating pressure: 30 MPa (300 bar)
Verification pressure: 45 MPa (450 bar)

Price (Carbine, bullpup price not listed): 40000 Rubles (currently US$ 1371.88).

The stock seems to have been through a variety of evolutions. These are other photos I found:

I prefer the P90 inspired stock, although the pistol grip looks a bit square.

A cursory google search did not reveal a US distributer. Demyan is going to be at SHOT Show 2009 so either they do have distributor lined up or are looking for one. The SHOT Show description of the company:

Original research and manufacture of sportguns. Our company produces high-quality air rifles for Fild Target, BenchRest, as well as compact powerful air rifles for hunting by caliber 4.5, 5.5, 6.35.

10, 2nd Donskoy Lane
Moscow, 119071
Russian Federation
Business Phone: 011 74959847629
Business Fax: 011 74959847629
www.demyan.info

Booth : 2080

If you are going to SHOT and come across their booth I would be interested to know who their distributer is, if they have one, if the T-4 carbine is going to be exported to the US, and if so its’ price.

They do not use the word “suppressor” which I find odd. Instead they call it “ND25 Noise Reduction Technology”… A suppressor by any other name.

The Whisper is a single cock break barrel action with a rifled steel, fluted bull barrel and an integral, non-removable noise dampener that reduces noise up to 52 percent. 2-stage adjustable trigger and automatic cocking safety with manual trigger safety. Fiber-optic front and rear adjustable sights. Includes 3-9×40 scope with a 1-piece solid mount. .177 caliber shoots 1200 fps with PBA ammo or 1000 fps with lead pellets. Weight: 5.28 lbs. Length: 43.5″.

More here.

Hat Tip: Saysuncle